1. Community
  2. Bones, joints and muscles
  3. Hallux Valgus (Bunions)

Scar tissue after bunion surgery

Posted , 30 users are following.

anne53733
anne53733

I'm now more than 6 months post bunion & hammertoe surgery !! Experienced a post op complication of scar tissue build up so  have not regained full movementvof toes ! Foot feels tight & sore & still walking with a limp, my consultant proposing a procedure to break up adhesions ! I would love to hear if anyone else had this mua procedure, am told it's pretty rare in foot but common in knee & shoulder problems ! 

2 likes, 43 replies

43 Replies

Prev Next
  • barbara00055
    barbara00055 anne53733

    Posted

    Hello.  I am three months and had scarf and akin with hammer toe straightened.  My big toe feels detached from my foot, it only moves with the other toes, and barely, it's very stiff. I am hoping that another three months will see improvement but hearing your story is worrying.  My biggest concern though is the hammer toe, I have a distinct dimpled line across the base where it was cut, the surgeon said he'd never seen one heal in this way, and I am getting discomfort from it.  If you dont mind, could you put a photo of your toes on here so I can compare, or at least let me know how it is at six months.  I have daily sometimes x2 massaged with no I oil, the bunion scar seem mostly ok but the hammer toe I am now thinking might have an adhesion.
    • anne53733
      anne53733 barbara00055

      Posted

      Hi Barbara I've come a long way in last 3 months, swelling is now mostly after exertion rather than 24/7 ! Am walking 3 miles most days tho it hurts as toes stiff and hard to push off ! Have massaged and done exercises since bandages were removed but can barely move big toe and can wiggle others but they tight and hurts on the ball of foot ! Have no scars and shape of foot overall not bad ( had 4 toes done)  so am just unlucky to have this scar tissue ! Hopefully u'll be much improved in 3 months !
    • barbara00055
      barbara00055 anne53733

      Posted

      Wow Anne that's amazing!  Did you have cuts across toes like mine, see photo.  There is hope for me yet.  But I have a feeling that my hammer toe hasn't healed properly.  What do you think?  Was yours like this 3 months ago.  So plsd to share on this forum wink
    • dianekarstedt
      dianekarstedt barbara00055

      Posted

      Hi Barbara

      my name is Diane 

      i have recently undergone the same kind of surgery 

      i have the same line on my toe

      its been 3 and !/2 months 

      i still walk with limp and cant bend the hammertoe 

      and in some discomfort 

      can you let me no how yours came out 

      did you break up scare tissue

      thank you

  • mary42138
    mary42138 anne53733

    Posted

    I have the same problem, I have to undergo a scar tissue removal, surgery, so not happy! Good luck to you I am not doing the surgery to June because I have responsibilities and it takes 3 weeks to recover, let me know how surgery goes,
    • dianekarstedt
      dianekarstedt mary42138

      Posted

      please let me no how your surgery on your toe went 

      im in the same situation 

      thanks Diane

    • mary42138
      mary42138 dianekarstedt

      Posted

      Hi My surgery had some improvement but not where it was about 35% dorsiflexion I have to do manipulation of my toe every morning, which is exhausting, my hip and back are still messed up from not having full range of motion so bottom line it's better but not where it needs to be, I am glad I did it cause their is more movement

  • pat29966
    pat29966 anne53733

    Posted

    Hello....I'm 10 months post surgery bunion & hammertoe Oct 1 2015.

    I'm experiencing the same problems as you, scar tissue around base of toe, I still walk with a limp and it's painful to put certain boots on. They fused the hammertoe it will never bend again, which I'm not happy about. Feels like a rubberband is tied around my toe. The bunion is fine. I've tried acupunture and laser therapy, physio to break up the scar tissue or adhesion but nothing seems to help. At home I've tried heating pads and massaging the scar tissue.

    I'm curious as to what you have been told about breaking up the adhesions?

     

  • susan296170
    susan296170 anne53733

    Posted

    Hi there,

    I am approaching 6 months post op for my right foot (was done Mar 4th/16) and I am experiencing something similar to what you describe.

    I had bunion surgery (Wilson/Akin method) and still have swelling on the top of my foot and my joint is still quite stiff, without fool range of mobility back. My doctor applies ultrasound and laser treatment to help reduce swelling and when I have a follow-up appointment I spend 20 mins in there Bio Stem machine but I don't think any of it is making a huge difference.

    Last week my doctor used some aggressive massage to try and move the fluid out of the area and suggested I keep trying daily massage.

    But he suspects that I still have an adhesion under one of the scar sites (I had minimally invasive surgery) and proposed to freeze me and un-stick that spot.

    I would like to know more about this manipulation or procedure that breaks up the scar tissue and/or adhesions as I suspect this is what I have.

    I'm a little anxious for scheduling this because my left foot surgery is coming up on Sept 30th and I'm travelling to Europe Sept 16-Sept 27th!

    Thanks!

    Susan

    Toronto, Canada

    • pww
      pww susan296170

      Posted

      I Would love to know what you find out about the manipulation of the scar tissue.
  • angie5094
    angie5094 anne53733

    Posted

    Hello Anne,

    I have the exact same issues, did you get any resolve?  My limp is getting worse.

    Thank you,

    Angie

  • krista70863
    krista70863 anne53733

    Posted

    Would love to know if you have had any improvement. I am struggling with this too?
  • nancy66943
    nancy66943 anne53733

    Posted

    Hello - I had bunion surgery in February 2016.  While the bunion was removed successfully, my hammer toe had alot of scar tissue built up on it as a result of the surgery.  So much so that when I went for PT the person thought the toe had been 'fused'.  To this day, the toe is still stiff and unbending, fortunately I can walk fine.  My podistrist apologized but basically indicated, yeah those are the issues that sometimes occur.  Needless to say I'm quite dissasitifed with my surgery decision, I basically traded one issue for another.  A bunion for a toe that will now not move or bend. I've read all of these discussions about the manipulation under anethesia.  If anyone has any suggestions, would love to hear.

    • RiaLT
      RiaLT nancy66943

      Posted

      Hi Nancy!  This is a year later response, but have you tried range of motion exercises for that particular problem toe?  I am 6wks post op today from having the Austin bunionectomy procedure involving 2 titanium screws and shaving off bone spur atop my RT foot.  Since having external stitches removed @ my 2wk post op appt was instructed to begin ROM exercises 3x at home for 5 minutes each time and changing positions every 20 seconds (:40, :20, :00).  It's painful initially especially when transitioning to/from up/down positions, but I'm seeing the progress when I push through the initial soreness.  I do these ROMs w essential oils massaged in prior and during to help alleviate swelling and stiffness.  The ROM originally was for the big toe joint that attaches to the metatarsal, but I noticed the interphalangeal  joint closest to toenail was quite stiff more than the other.   So I started to work on that joint as well.  It's progressed significantly towards mobility and can now bend the toe like the rest of the toes.   My whole toe mobility isn't where I'd like it to be at this point in recovery, but it's on it's way, given it's only 6wks post op.  If you want to know the EO mixture I use, let me know and I'll reply w details.  

      All the best to you and those still experiencing stiffness even months to years out. 

Back to top
Prev Next

Report or request deletion

Thanks for your help!

We want the community to be a useful resource for our users but it is important to remember that the community are not moderated or reviewed by doctors and so you should not rely on opinions or advice given by other users in respect of any healthcare matters. Always speak to your doctor before acting and in cases of emergency seek appropriate medical assistance immediately. Use of the community is subject to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy and steps will be taken to remove posts identified as being in breach of those terms.